NEW ROCHELLE, NY — In an emotional courtroom scene, Korehisi Valenzuela, aided by an interpreter, delivered a heartfelt statement during the sentencing of Percell Ross Blakely, the man convicted of murdering her father, Andres Valenzuela, two and a half years ago. The loss, she expressed, has not diminished over time for her family.
Andres Valenzuela, a former police officer from Mexico and a long-time taxi driver, had moved to New Rochelle 40 years prior. He was 62 years old at the time of his death, which occurred in the parking lot of a Westchester County catering hall. Despite being off-duty, he was fatally shot twice at the end of his taxi shift.
The investigation led to a dramatic conclusion three days after the murder when New Rochelle police apprehended Blakely in Brooklyn. The arrest escalated into a gunfight at a Brooklyn housing project, indicating the high stakes and dangers involved in capturing the suspect. The sentencing brings some closure to the tragic event that shook the community and Valenzuela’s family.